Chapter 10 - don't come back
1331 Words
The camera flash disappeared as quickly as it came.
But the damage was already done.
---
Sienna stood frozen behind the counter, heart pounding painfully against her ribs.
Outside the bookstore window, two figures lingered across the street.
Phones raised.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
Soohyun pulled his hood lower immediately, jaw tight.
“They followed me from the company.”
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Sienna let out a slow breath, trying to steady herself.
“You need to leave.”
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His eyes snapped to hers instantly.
“No.”
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The answer came too fast.
Too firm.
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Sienna frowned.
“They already know I’m here.”
“And they’ll know more if you stay.”
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Another flash lit through the rain-streaked window.
This time closer.
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Soohyun cursed quietly under his breath and stepped further away from the glass instinctively.
Sienna noticed.
The reflex.
The exhaustion.
The way he looked like someone who’d spent too long being watched.
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“They’re not going to stop,” she said softly.
“I know.”
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Another flash.
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The bookstore suddenly felt smaller.
Too exposed.
Too fragile.
Like the world outside was pushing its way in no matter how tightly she tried to shut the door.
---
Soohyun looked toward the window again, tense.
“I’ll get security here.”
“No.”
“Sienna—”
“No,” she repeated more firmly. “That’ll make it worse.”
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He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“What do you want me to do then?”
The question came out sharper than he intended.
She could tell immediately.
Because regret flashed across his face right after.
---
But it still hurt.
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Sienna crossed her arms tightly over herself.
“I want this to stop.”
“I’m trying.”
“You keep saying that.”
---
Silence.
Heavy.
---
Outside, another group of girls slowed near the bookstore window.
Whispering.
Looking inside.
Looking at *her.*
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Sienna’s stomach twisted.
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One of them lifted her phone.
Pointing it directly toward the shop.
Toward them.
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That was it.
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“Enough.”
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Sienna moved quickly toward the front door before she could think better of it.
Soohyun reacted instantly.
“Sienna—”
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She unlocked the door and stepped outside into the cold rain.
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“Can I help you?” she asked sharply.
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The girls froze.
Clearly not expecting confrontation.
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“We were just—”
“Taking pictures?” Sienna interrupted. “Filming people through windows?”
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The girls exchanged awkward looks.
One lowered her phone immediately.
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“We didn’t mean anything bad,” another mumbled.
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Sienna laughed softly.
But there was no humor in it.
“You don’t know me,” she said quietly. “So stop acting like you do.”
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Rain soaked through her sleeves almost instantly.
Cold against her skin.
But she barely noticed.
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Behind her, the bookstore door opened again.
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“Sienna.”
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His voice.
Closer now.
Warning.
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She turned slightly.
Soohyun stood just behind her beneath the dim glow of the bookstore lights, hood shadowing his face again.
But his eyes—
His eyes were fixed entirely on her.
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“Go inside,” he said quietly.
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The girls stared openly now.
Whispering louder.
Realizing.
Recording.
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Sienna felt it immediately.
The shift.
This was becoming bigger by the second.
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One of the girls gasped softly.
“Oh my god, it *is* him.”
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Another phone lifted.
Another camera flash.
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Soohyun stepped forward immediately.
Not toward the fans.
Toward *her.*
Positioning himself slightly in front of Sienna without even thinking about it.
Protective.
Instinctive.
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And somehow—
That hurt more than anything else.
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Because this wasn’t normal.
None of it was.
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“Sienna,” he said again, lower this time. “Please go inside.”
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She looked at him.
Really looked at him.
At the exhaustion beneath his calm expression.
At the tension in every line of his body.
At the way he was trying to protect her while his own world was collapsing around him.
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And suddenly—
She understood something.
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This would never stop.
Not really.
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There would always be cameras.
Questions.
People watching.
Waiting.
Judging.
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And Soohyun—
No matter how much he wanted otherwise—
Would always belong to that world.
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Her chest tightened painfully.
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“You need to stop coming here.”
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The words landed harder this time.
Not soft.
Not hesitant.
Real.
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Soohyun froze.
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The rain filled the silence between them.
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“Sienna…”
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“No,” she said quietly. “Listen to me this time.”
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The girls nearby had gone silent now.
Watching the scene unfold like it belonged to them.
Like this was entertainment.
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“I can’t do this,” Sienna admitted softly.
The honesty in her own voice almost broke her.
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Soohyun stepped closer.
Rain dripping from dark strands of hair.
“You don’t mean that.”
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She swallowed hard.
“I do.”
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His expression tightened immediately.
Like the words physically hurt.
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“You’re scared,” he said quietly.
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“Yes.”
The answer came instantly.
Because lying felt impossible now.
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“I’m scared of what happens next,” she continued. “I’m scared of people finding me. Watching me. Turning my entire life into something public because I happened to meet you.”
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The words trembled near the end.
She hated that.
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“Soohyun… this isn’t normal.”
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He looked at her for a long moment.
Silent.
Rain falling steadily around both of them.
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Then—
Quietly—
“I know.”
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And somehow that made it worse.
Because he wasn’t denying it.
Wasn’t promising things would magically get better.
Because he knew they wouldn’t.
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Another flash.
Another photo.
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Sienna flinched slightly.
Soohyun noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
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Something in his expression shifted then.
Softened.
Broke.
Just slightly.
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“…Okay,” he said quietly.
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Sienna’s heart stopped.
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What?
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“If that’s what you want,” he continued softly, “I’ll stop coming.”
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The words hit like a punch to the chest.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
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This was what she wanted.
Wasn’t it?
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So why did it hurt so much?
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“Soohyun—”
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“No,” he interrupted gently.
His eyes stayed on hers.
Calm.
Painfully calm.
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“You were right from the beginning,” he said. “I should’ve stayed away.”
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Sienna felt tears sting unexpectedly behind her eyes.
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“That’s not what I meant.”
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A small smile touched his lips.
Sad.
Tired.
Beautiful in the worst way.
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“I know.”
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For a second—
Neither of them moved.
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The rain soaked through Sienna’s clothes completely now.
Cold.
Heavy.
But all she could feel was him standing in front of her looking like he was trying very hard not to fall apart.
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Then—
Slowly—
He stepped back.
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Distance.
Again.
Always distance.
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“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
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And this time—
It sounded like goodbye.
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The bookstore girls whispered loudly behind them.
Phones still recording.
Capturing every second.
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Soohyun pulled his hood back up.
His expression closing off again piece by piece.
Turning back into someone untouchable.
Someone the world could have.
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Not the boy from the bookstore.
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The idol.
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He looked at her one last time.
Then turned away.
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And walked into the rain.
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Sienna stood there long after he disappeared from sight.
Long after the girls finally left.
Long after the street grew quiet again.
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The rain kept falling.
Cold against her skin.
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But somehow—
The emptiness inside her felt worse.
- Writer
